Alabama needs more safe, decent, affordable housing

By Russell L. Bennett, executive director of the Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama.

Alabama lacks homes that are safe, decent, and affordable for more than 95,000 working families, seniors and those on fixed incomes. That's more than Auburn's stadium filled to capacity.

According to Out of Reach 2016, a new report released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), our state has a shortage of homes, and many of the homes that we do have are either too expensive for many families or places not fit to raise a family.

Assuming a 40 hour a week, Alabamians need to earn at least $13.93 per hour in order to afford the rent and utilities on a basic two-bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, the typical renter in Alabama only earns about $11.64 per hour, meaning a second job is required just to make rent.

For workers earning minimum wage, the situation is even worse. A person earning minimum wage must work 77 hours per week in order to afford that modest two-bedroom home.

According to the report, which compares the current cost of rental housing with what renters can really afford, nowhere in Alabama can low wage workers working full-time earn enough to afford a typical one- or two-bedroom apartment. We must invest state resources to create homes that are affordable for people who work long hours but earn very little.

The most recent housing bubble has increased the number of renters, which has created increased demand for an already limited supply of affordable rental homes. This increased demand has caused the price of rents to increase.

The average household in Alabama is spending half of its income on rent, not leaving enough money for food, children and health care. I believe that hardworking families, seniors, and those on fixed incomes should be able to pay their rent and still be able to put food on the table.

One component of the solution to this housing crisis is for the state to invest in the development and rehabilitation of safe and affordable homes. LIHCA and our partners are working to secure revenue for the Alabama Housing Trust Fund.

This housing trust fund was designed as a flexible source of committed funding to address a local community's most pressing housing needs. It could be used to construct and rehabilitate affordable homes, both for rental and home ownership opportunities.

It could also be used for down payment assistance or for emergency repairs to keep people from becoming homeless. The fund was established in May of 2012 by the Alabama Legislature, but our elected officials have not yet assigned a single dollar to it, leaving it empty and useless at a time when it is urgently needed.

The Out of Reach report demonstrates the need for a fully operational Alabama Housing Trust Fund. We must provide access to more safe, decent, and healthy homes for Alabamians. We must invest in Alabama communities and our citizens.

Having money in the Alabama Housing Trust Fund would mean that more people have the opportunity to live healthy, independent lives. When families have a safe place to call home, they have the opportunity to put a warm meal on the table, help their children with homework, and have what many of us take for granted - a safe place to rest. After all, shouldn't all Alabamians have a safe place to call home?

LIHCA is a statewide coalition addressing the need for affordable housing for Alabamians with the greatest financial need. The National Low Income Housing Coalition is a D.C.-based research and advocacy organization dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the U.S. have affordable and decent homes.